TSA Still Awful After 17 Years
"The mob scene generated by the bureaucracy creates a major security problem in itself with respect to possible lunatic bombers."
The TSA is keeping a secret watchlist of customers who assert their rights
"The watchlist would seem less perilous if the TSA were not one of the most incompetent agencies on Earth."
John Whitehead: Is the Constitution Even Welcome Here Anymore?
"This is still our country. Don’t just sit there. Do something."
Jeffrey Tucker: Exit Scans Are Here
"This final exit scan had a different feel. It was not about the airline. It was not about stopping terrorism and other mischief. It is purely about the possibility that the right of a person to exit could be denied for any reason the government happens to dream up."
German police sue American woman for slander for calling them ‘Nazis’
"An angry American traveler found herself plunged into German legal waters this month after allegedly calling federal police officers 'Nazis' during a dispute at Frankfurt International Airport. Police say the woman, a 49-year-old professor, became 'unreasonable and irritated' when they told her she had too many liquids in her carry-on during a screening for explosives. The issue of too many liquids morphed quickly — by her own account – into a tail-chasing argument over her deodorant: They insisted it must go; she claimed that made no sense since it was a solid."
Thousands of Americans’ Electronics Illegally Searched at Border
"Over 30,000 people had their electronic devices searched without probable cause or a warrant by Customs and Border Protection in 2017. This is a 50% increase from 2016. Most of the searches took place at airports when travelers were leaving the country. Imagine the helplessness of having your phone taken by an Agent, and searched without your consent. No suspicion of any crime. No probable cause. Just some thug using brute force to violate your privacy. In these settings, travelers are powerless. You just want to get home or continue to your destination, but the American police state shakes you down. Hundreds of traveler complaints about such oppression have now surfaced thanks to a Freedom of Information Request."
Privacy Complaints Mount Over Phone Searches at U.S. Border Since 2011
"Smartphones and other personal electronics contain vastly more private information than suitcases. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have filed a lawsuit in Boston arguing that a warrant should be required to search such devices at the border. Last week, the Trump administration asked a judge to dismiss the case. The lawsuit comes amid a surge in agents looking through — and sometimes copying data from — cellphones and laptops. Midway through fiscal year 2017, Customs and Border Protection was on pace to search 30,000 travelers’ electronics — more than tripling the annual number by that agency since 2015."
New US visa-free travel policy exports Homeland Security abroad
"The Trump administration put new requirements in place on Friday for the 38 countries participating in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, including that they use U.S. counterterrorism data to screen travelers, officials said. The United States will also start assessing VWP countries on their safeguards against 'insider threats' at their airports, especially those with direct flights to the United States, officials said."
Trump’s holiday gift is more invasive airport security
"On the campaign trail last year, Donald Trump derided the Transportation Security Administration as a 'total disaster.' But his administration is making TSA more intrusive and abusive while its 42,000 screeners remain as incompetent as ever. New TSA screening guidelines will likely make Thanksgiving travel a disaster for legions of Americans — and the worst is yet to come."
New Measures Impose Interviews On Travelers Returning To The US
"If you’re traveling back to the US on or after Thursday, expect a broad range of new measures, including short interviews. According to Airlines for America, the new policies will affect 325,000 airline passengers on about 2,000 commercial flights arriving daily in the US. Those figures include flights on 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries. That’s a whole lot of people on a significant number of flights, so be aware that you may experience more delays than usual. Lufthansa said that travelers could expect to encounter short interviews at check-in or at the gate, and passengers on Lufthansa’s Swiss should check-in at least 90 minutes before departure."